They may have been real people centuries ago, but thanks to the mythical recounting of history through novels, movies, TV shows and even shoddy high school text books. the Presidents of yesteryears are closer to tall tale characters than historical figures. Which may be the reason we're seeing Hollywood twist America's greatest government icons into blockbuster fodder. Sure, Abraham Lincoln helped the country survive the Civil War, abolish slavery and prepare for the Reconstruction, but after this summer, we'll finally have a new chapter to add to his legacy: vampire hunting!
Whether audiences will accept Honest Abe's foray into supernatural sucker slaying is unknown, but four score and seven years won't pass before another President gets the fictional thriller treatment,. Keeping the new trend alive Darren Aronofsky will reportedly bring George Washington to the big screen in The General — but not as a straightforward, historical biopic. Rather, the script, by Accepted and Tower Heist writers Adam Cooper and Bill Collage, is in the vein of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. A Washington Western? He may be chopping down more than cherry trees in Aronofsky's version.
The Black Swan director has a ton of other projects on his plate, including the recently announced Noah, starring Russell Crowe, and a long-gestating Jackie Kennedy drama. But according to the report, The General is high on Aronofsky's to do list.
Alternative fiction isn't anything new, but rarely does it make its way to mainstream movies. Will the support of an A-list director like Aronofsky kick off a new wave of imitators? The possibilities are endless. A raunchy Martin Van Buren comedy? A William Taft/Fight Club hybrid? Benjamin Harrison vs. Aliens? A James K. Polk musical scored by They Might Be Giants? Anything goes when the floodgates open.
Before Aronofsky gets to The General, he'll be playing God in Noah, which hits theaters March 28, 2014.
Find Matt Patches directly on Twitter @misterpatches and remember to follow @Hollywood_com!
[Variety]
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Watch the First Trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Watch: J.Lo's Darren Aronofsky-Directed Kohl's Commercial

We are hovering at the threshold of the most interesting of cinematic calendar benchmarks: awards season.
Now is the time that all of 2011’s prestige films vie relentlessly for top honors and the chance to clutch victoriously a golden statue. A few years ago, the Best Film category widened its membership to ten nominees per year. It has therefore become arduous,(and expensive) to make it to the theater in order to see all ten nominees. Luckily, Netflix is here to help you catch up on some you may have missed from 2010. We hope you’ll consider spending some quality time with True Grit.
Who Made It:True Grit is actually a remake of a classic 1969 western starring John Wayne. The remake is written and directed by the celebrated Coen Brothers. Since 1984, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen have been responsible for some of our most artful, unique, and memorable films. There catalog reads like a parade of unbelievable greatness: Fargo, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, and O Brother, Where Art Thou, just to name a few.
Who’s In It: Stepping into the iconic role of Rooster Cogburn, the role for which John Wayne won his first and only Oscar, is Jeff Bridges. Accompanying him is a Texas Ranger, played by Matt Damon, and a tough young girl, played by newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. The cast also includes Josh Brolin, with whom the Coens previously worked with on No Country for Old Men.
What’s It About:A young woman’s father is killed by a hired hand and she must travel to recover his body. While away, she hires a lawman as fond of drink as he is of killing to help her track down the man responsible for her father’s death.
True Grit is one of the few occasions wherein the remake actually holds up to the original film. With the period film, The Coens—after creating a strange neo-western in No Country for Old Men—return to a more classic example of the genre.
Their western does not romanticize the old west, but rather creates a landscape that is as bleak and treacherous as it is beautiful; packed with enough despicable, unflinchingly violent characters to make every step into the wilderness your potential last. The Coens use of language makes their western unique. The characters at once speak plainly and eloquently, with an almost musical cadence to their colloquialisms.
Jeff Bridges is absolutely outstanding as Rooster Cogburn. He isn’t content creating an imitation of John Wayne and makes the character distinctly his own. He is equally grizzled and colorful, but there is something far more mystic about Bridges’ portrayal of Cogburn. His rocky past seems painted in the haggard lines of his face and audible in his smoky, croaking voice. While his morals at first seem rather cloudy, there is no denying his endless pursuit of the good and the right. And of course all of these virtues are well protected by his frighteningly adept turn of the six-shooter. Bridges was rewarded for his efforts with a nomination for Best Actor.
Relative acting rookie Hailee Steinfeld was similarly honored with a nod for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Mattie Ross; an accolade of which she earned ever iota. I risk ire from its fans, but I honestly feel Steinfeld is a marked improvement over Kim Darby who played the role in the original film. Steinfeld is so poised, so confident and wise beyond her character’s years, that she presents a legitimate equal for any adult ally or foe. Darby had a tendency to posture and, by way of her falsity, irritate and grate upon the nerves. Steinfeld proves far more natural as both a feisty wordsmith and an emotionally complex young woman.
Previously, on For Your Consideration...
New Year's Evil
Miracle on 34th Street
Die Hard
Hook
Hot Shots: Part Deux

I've made a bold claim in general conversation and I'll make it again here: Viggo Mortensen (the LOTR trilogy, Eastern Promises) is one of the greatest actors we have working today. He's a chameleon—a committed performer who can slip into any role seamlessly while never failing to make exciting and unexpected choices. After speaking to him at length for his new movie A Dangerous Method, in which the actor inhabits the role of Sigmund Freud opposite Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley, I also have another bold claim: Viggo Mortensen is one of the nicest actors we have working today.
Read on to find out more about the actor's third collaboration with director David Cronenberg, preparing for a detail-heavy dramatic experience, earning his second Golden Globe nomination, and even a little on the 10th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings:
You’re currently in Spain performing a play right now. At the tail-end of the run?
Viggo Mortensen:Yeah. Well, actually, just finished Sunday. Purgatorio is a really challenging text. It’s like an hour and forty-five minutes, more or less. Two characters on stage the whole time. No break.
A physically demanding role for you.
VM: Yeah. Just having that much dialogue. Plus, I hadn’t done theater for over twenty years. I actually—during rehearsals—was asking myself what the hell I was thinking. I could have picked a one-scene part in a play, just to get my feet wet again. But it was a challenge. It was worth it. It was a good script. Challenging. I think I learned more doing that, these past few months, than I have the last ten or fifteen years making movies.
Wow.
VM: In some ways. I mean, obviously not about cameras and technical things. They’re different sorts of challenges. I guess this year, having lots of dialogue in both David Cronenberg’s movie—more than I usually get as an actor in the movies—and then this play, it was just getting used to working with that.
That's an interesting connection to A Dangerous Method. This movie is, in part, based on a play, and like you said, it’s a very talky movie. Was your interest in the part, the movie, rooted in a desire to dive into the theatrics? Something more dialogue-driven?
VM: I suppose. The dialogue’s one way to get comfortable with playing Sigmund Freud, which, if you had asked me a couple years ago, I’d have said, “You’re crazy. It’s not a part for me.” Probably. Even if it was interesting to me. If another director other than David had asked me, I might not have taken the plunge.
Why is that?
VM: We’ve done two movies before. We get along really well. We’re good friends.
Why did you think Sigmund Freud wasn’t a part for you?
VM: Well, just physically, to start with. My idea of what he looked like and seemed like…I don’t know. It was never a character I had imagined playing. Once I started getting used to the idea by doing lots of research, and finding out more about him—it wasn’t just that he spoke a lot, but the way in which he spoke. Ironic tone, often. The fact that he was an entertaining conversationalist. An intelligent one, a generous one. He had a big appetite for life. All of those things guided me in terms of putting together the character. And then, as I said, just the fact of dealing with that much dialogue was a good challenge. Once I got used to it, I really enjoyed it. It probably helped me, in some way, be prepared for the play. A little bit.
I spoke to David about making the movie and working with you again. He mentioned that there was a lengthy email chain between you and him about Freud’s cigars.
VM: [Laughs] Yeah. I mean, that was just the tip of the iceberg.
That’s what I’m curious about. It sounds like you’re a research-heavy guy. Is that where your characters begin for you?
VM: They always differ. It’s sort of like what any kid does. It’s just a little more sophisticated, a little more layered, but it’s the same idea: if you’re a little kid and you decide to make believe and you’re playing some character, most kids get right into it. Even if it seems very simple to an adult, to them it’s very complex. And they’re leaving no stone unturned. The way they move, the way they talk. If they look menacing, or if they’re scared, or if they’re a princess. Or whatever it is they’re doing. Cowboys, Indians. As a child, you don’t have to be told, ‘No, I don’t believe what you’re doing. You have to believe it yourself or the audience won’t believe it,’ etcetera. They totally believe it. They just do it naturally. And I think the actor needs to find a way to have that same childish sense of play. At least, that’s what works for me.
But a way to get there is to do the make-believe part, the construction of it, as much as possible. And just enjoy it, too. You learn things easier when you’re enjoying the subject. So, if I take on a part because there’s something about it that interests me, or, perhaps, as often happens, frightens me—and what frightens me is, I think what frightens most people: what we don’t know. More often than not, what we’re scared of is something we don’t know about. Ignorance causes fear, causes superstition, all kinds of things. So, those are the things I tend to gravitate towards because you’re going to learn something new. I enjoy that for the research, whether it’s with David or any other director. For any character, it starts with a question. I basically ask myself, 'what happened from the moment this character was born until page one of the script?' That can be an extensive job finding that out. And fun!
With Freud, obviously, it was easier because there is a lot of material about him. Not just his work. I had to find out, what did people think of him? What did he sound like when he talked? What kind of voice did he have? How did he move? What were his appetites, his interests? Other than about science and psychoanalysis, what did he read? And I shared that with David. The cigars were just one thing. I don’t know how many dozens of emails…thirty emails, more. Just to get it right. It was fun. Fortunately, he enjoys it just like I do. He’s like a kindred spirit in a way. Almost like a like-minded actor, I would say.
Is that why you continue to collaborate with David? Are you guys just on the same wavelength? What are his unique qualities as a director?
VM: I think so. We share a similar sense of humor, sense of curiosity about the world. I guess a sense—not in a panicky way—that life is short, and to get the most out of each day. That sort of attitude.
I think also, the fact that he seems to like actors, which is not what I’ve seen from a lot of…some directors seem, at the very least, quite a few directors seem to, at least, be very uncomfortable around actors. Don’t know how to deal with them. Even find them to be a bit of a nuisance and can’t wait to get in the editing room. They’re just tools, just like the cameras are, and crew members, to them. But directors like David are confident in their abilities, secure as people, about their own…sense of self-worth. He’s open to suggestion, he likes to collaborate with people. And he knows exactly what to do. He’s pretty resolute in getting there, and getting the result he needs. But he’s easy to work with. He’s fun. I enjoy the process of making a movie, because you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know how it’s going to turn out, and you certainly don’t know how it’s going to be received.
With David, and with others, I’ve made movies that I thought were well-worth seeing, but because of bad luck with distribution, or what-have-you, they didn’t get out there. People eventually saw them, but on DVD or something, and then later said, ‘Oh, what a good movie! What happened to that?’ You’ve got to enjoy what is happening at the time. If you can do that, that’s a big step. And with him, I know that the set is going to be screaming-free, unless it’s the characters doing it, and that people are going to have a nice time and treat each other with respect, and get on with their business. And respect whatever other people have to do to contribute to the storytelling. It’s enjoyable.
I feel like we all have a picture of Freud, because of how he's been played or impersonated in the past. Often in an extravagant way.
VM: Caricatures, really.
But through your research…was there ever a fear of bringing someone to life in the wake of all of that caricature or impersonation?
VM: I have seen some Freuds. I’ve seen BBC stuff, I’ve seen some spoof stuff. John Huston’s kind of hard to find. The movie where Montgomery Clift played him without changing his eye color [Freud: The Secret Passion]. That was pretty intense, but a strange movie. Not an altogether successful portrait. Even though Montgomery Clift was a great actor—probably the founder, really, before Brando, of modern film acting. Realistic film acting, I suppose. I didn’t think that there had been a truly accurate, well-rounded portrait of him done in the movies. I didn’t think so, anyway. I haven’t seen…I was concerned with, as David was, getting it right. The reality of the times.
That’s why David and I, in this case, shared information about everything that had to do with the period. The politics in Europe at the time. The socio-political reality. The social mores. Literature, music. What was going on at the time in Vienna, Western Europe. Anything that could remotely have anything to do with it. I think Keira approached things that way also. But anyway, with David, as usual, we left no stone unturned so as to be able to arrive on the set and not waste time. He had a pretty good idea of what we were going to attempt, which allows you to relax and see what happens. You can welcome happy accidents, or twists and turns that happen with two actors or more.
Because it’s so reality based, was there still room for discovery?
VM: Something about Freud, in this portrait of him in his fifties—early fifties—I think you get the fact that he was witty. He had a sense of humor. There’s an ironic tone in some of the scenes, I think. At least that’s what we were going for, or I was going for with David’s help. And that has to do with something that I didn’t know until I did a lot of research on him. Contemporary accounts of his lectures, of the way he was as a family person, a friend. He was someone that had a large appetite for life, was robust, and quite a bit more gregarious than I'd thought. He had a really good sense of humor. He liked a good joke, a good prank.
Loved cigars.
VM: [Laughs] He loved cigars, wine, good food. He had lots of friends. And he was a pretty warmhearted person, and quite sociable. In a way I, like a lot of people, probably, pictured him as a very serious, very strict, maybe even humorless type of an old, frail, white haired man. Of course, that’s more representative physically of the way he was in the last fifteen to eighteen years of his life when he had cancer. But the period we’re dealing with is leading up to World War I—the first decade of the twentieth century. He was quite a bit more fit and had a lot more energy at the time. That was interesting to hear, and to read about. How he spoke, how he was engaging and generous as a conversationalist. That was something that we were able to put in there. Someone who was very curious about people and about life. You get that in the movie a little bit.
and David that there wasn’t a ton of rehearsals beforehand. An 'Everyone do your research, and we’re going to show up and do it' approach...
VM: No, David doesn’t really do that. He doesn’t like to do that. Which is fine. I mean, I like to rehearse, but I don’t mind not—especially with someone like him. As I said, on History of Violence, the first time around, by the time I showed up he and I had discussed so many things there wasn’t a need for it. Also, just personally, I feel like I’m on a similar wavelength with him. We get along well.
What’s your process like stepping onto a set with an actor you’ve never worked with, like Michael or Keira? How do you get going on that first day?
VM: Well, basically, whatever anybody does, in some sense...in acting I think there’s no such thing as doing it wrong. If you just let go of the idea that you’re going to fail, that’s a start right there. Whatever someone throws at me, whatever anyone does—how they say things, how they move—I just react to that. I may personally feel that maybe wasn’t as good a take as the previous one, but I don’t…you need a good moderator, a good director, like David, who doesn’t really step in and do a lot of directing unless it’s absolutely necessary. He just gently guides people whom he selects very carefully. He’s very meticulous. Very careful about the casting process. He knows how important it is. And I think he’s proved over the years that he’s quite good at it, and that he knows how to work with actors.
He’s worked with all kinds of different actors and actresses, and, generally speaking, actors tend to give—if not their best—some of their best performances when they work with him. That’s no accident. Look at Jeremy Irons, or Jeff Goldblum, or William Hurt, Ed Harris, Maria Bello, Keira, Michael. I think I’ve done some of my best things for David. Because he’s very attentive to even the minutest detail of behavior or intonation. He has a very good ear for casting and for directing actors. He understands them, and I think he likes them. He appreciates what they can do for him in terms of storytelling. How they can help him.
The not rehearsing doesn’t seem to matter with him, because you show up—you had your homework, or you assigned it to yourself, or you asked him questions and he’s given you some guidance—and you show up presumably ready. He’s very thorough in all departments. He knows it’s going to work. It’s not just the fact that he likes what he does, which is contagious. Unlike with some directors, it’s not just a task. He can’t wait to get in the editing room, and he hopes the movie is going to do well, and so forth. But he actually loves what he does. He gets the most out of each day. So you feel…you’re enthusiastic by contagion!
He also seems confident. If your director seems to know what he’s doing or she’s doing, and they give that off, they give that feeling of confidence, that inspires confidence, I find. When you have someone who is very nervous, or they’re shouting, or both, it’s not only distracting, but you worry, ‘God, are we making something terrible? What’s the point?’ I’ve certainly worked with unhinged individuals before. People who didn’t seem technically as prepared, or they were disorganized, or they were intolerant, or didn’t treat the crew right. You can still do a good job. It’s just not as much fun. As an actor, you’ve got to adapt to all kinds of personalities.
I owe you a bit of congratulations, because I know you were nominated for a Golden Globe for this role.
VM: Thank you. That was a very welcome surprise. I didn’t see it coming. In fact, since I was on my way to the theater, it wasn’t something I was paying attention to. I don’t think people pay as much attention here in Mardid as maybe they do back there. But, in any case…I say ‘surprised’ because our movie, unfortunately—although maybe that’s changing now—has not seemed…I mean, as usual with David, he gets respectable reviews, talked about, people mention him as one of our greatest living directors. And then he seems to vanish, and so do his movies. I mean, they do well. They come in on budget, or under budget. On time, or before time…the shoot. They make their money back. He goes on and makes another one. But it’s often a year later when someone sees it on DVD, or something, and they say, ‘God, that was great. Why didn’t I see that?’ I don’t know what it is. So the nomination was a bit of a surprise. It’ll be helpful to use, I hope, in the wider release.
Do awards and nominations…I assume that’s not the reason any actor takes a role—
VM: I think some people do. [Laughs] I honestly think that there are not only directors, but especially actors, who choose roles, stories, because they know that if they do a decent job with it, that’s the kind of thing that they mind get an award for. I definitely think that people do that. It doesn’t mean that they’re going to do a bad job. It’s just, well…to each his own.
Do these kinds of awards vindicate your work? Or make it feel like, ‘Oh, yeah, this was worth it. I did a good job.’
VM: It’s like someone gives you a present you didn’t expect to get. That’s basically it. Because whether David ever gets nominated for an Oscar for directing—which he should have been before, long before now—or not, doesn’t change my opinion of his movies, or having worked with him, or wanting to work with him again. It doesn’t really change anything. Obviously what it does is…it’s nice, because someone made a point of singling you out. I do appreciate that. Why wouldn’t it be pleasant? But I’m also aware of the fact that it’s a strange game, in a way. It’s a sort of satellite industry, really, this whole awards circuit, which seems to grow and grow. Every year. Maybe I’m wrong, but there seem to be more all the time. Oh, you heard so-and-so won the this-and-that, and they’re on the this-and-that list. And they’re things you’ve never heard of! But just because David’s movies have almost been invisible on those lists—except the odd, surprising mention here and there—doesn’t mean that I think more or less of them. It’s kind of a separate thing. It doesn’t mean it’s not valid. It’s great. And I also realize that at business level, that whether it’s me or Keira or Michael or David, those sort of ‘main awards,’—which I suppose are what? Best Picture, Director, Actors—those sorts of nominations help create interest, and help the distributor put the movie out there, and hopefully get people interested in going to see it. It’s a seal of approval, like from the American Dental Association!
‘It’s good! It must be good!’
VM: ‘Try that brand! At least once!’ And I’m not saying that to be cynical. I just think it’s part of our business. But it’s also nice to be mentioned or thought of, or to have someone appreciate your work in an outspoken way. It’s kind of nice.
People—we entertainment junkies—were abuzz a few days ago, because, amazingly, it was the tenth anniversary of when Fellowship of the Ring came out in theaters. It was kind of blowing all of our minds.
VM: It has really gone by quickly.
For you, looking back, do you see those movies as a kind of a treasure? Or just a respectful part of your career? Or something you wish people like me would stop asking about?
VM: No, not at all! It was an important period of my life. Years, including all the reshoots, and all of that promotion. It was four years for all of us, really. The first, main shoot, which was like shooting one big, long movie—I don’t really think of them as three movies. I think of them as one long ten-hour movie, or eleven-hour, with all the extended versions—which I learned a lot on. I worked with any number of directors, not just Peter [Jackson]. I mostly worked with all kinds of assistant directors. We had so many sets working at the time, it was kind of like a giant, hugely expensive circus. It was very interesting. Talk about the idea of an actor needing to be flexible! Working with green screens, snow, rain, mud…
The mud!
VM: You know, re-writes last minute, stunts, horses, poems, songs, mud, everything! Night, day, dawn, sunrise. It was like a workshop course in terms of working in the movies. We did just about everything. We tried just about everything as actors. Especially those actors who were working most of the time, like, say, Elijah [Wood] and myself. And so many others. It was a great period for us. Plus, I really enjoyed being in New Zealand. I like New Zealand. I owe a lot, that experience. Having been able to do, say, History of Violence and some other movies I did subsequently, has everything to do with the box office success we had. I can’t be anything but grateful to that. In many ways, I’m just fond of that time and what we went through—and the results of it—as maybe you are.
Are those big blockbuster movies something you’re interested in returning to?
VM: Sure. I have nothing against that at all. I was offered two very important big-budget roles this past year that I couldn’t do because I was already shooting a movie—an independent movie down in Argentina, which I was doing because I liked it. I thought it was a very interesting story, in which I played identical twins. And then I had this play to do. Once I give my word on something, I don’t like to go back on it…and that happens all the time in this business. You get a job—it’s either feast or famine—you get a job, and then suddenly something else comes along. ‘Oh, wow, that would have been fun.’ But you couldn’t do it.
You’re coveted.
VM: It was nice. Again, it’s like this thing of being nominated for an award. Even though I’ve been working a lot—here I am doing a very difficult play, an Ariel Dorfman play in Spain. But it’s in Spain! It’s not in LA or New York or London. It’s not in English. And working in Argentina on a movie—not in English. So I’ve been out of the loop, in a way. It’s not to still be thought of, whether it’s being offered an important part in a big studio production or being nominated for an award—I honestly don’t look at, when I’m reading a script—assuming someone’s interested in me—I really don’t look at what it is, budget-wise.
And one more, ridiculous question. The trailer for Peter’s Hobbit movie is now online. I have to ask if you have seen.
VM: No, I have to take a look at that immediately. I can’t wait to look at it! I’ll look at it as soon as we hang up.

Cowboys &amp; Aliens may not have been the biggest hit of the summer, but it certainly sports the best cast.
Director Jon Favreau assembled a diverse cast, pulling from the top names in Hollywood young and old. Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, Adam Beach, Noah Ringer, Clancy Brown, Keith Carradine—and that's just the main cast. Trickling down into the supporting roles are recognizable character actors and Western staples. Favreau even found a part for Brendan Wayne, grandson of the legendary John Wayne!
In this exclusive glimpse at the making of feature "Igniting the Sky" from the Cowboys &amp; Aliens Blu-ray, Favreau and his cast wax poetically on working with each other, the experience of performing alongside people you simultaneously admire.
Cowboys &amp; Aliens hits Blu-ray December 6.
Also check out this new poster by Florian Bertmer, which you can pick up tomorrow at Mondo Tees!

Few directors have eclectic enough resumes to be deemed truly unclassifiable, but that's John Landis. In his 30+ year career, he's directed some of the scariest horror movies (American Werewolf in London) and funniest comedies (The Blues Brothers, Animal House) of all time. Landis has a passion for filmmaking and movie-watching—and he hasn't been shy in playing with some of his favorite genres during his lengthy career.
Coinciding with the Blu-ray release of his 1986 Western comedy ¡Three Amigos!, I had a chance to sit down with the director and discuss the movie, the zounds of extras featured on the new disc and explore the bumpy road Landis has faced working in the Hollywood scene:
I got to check out the ¡Three Amigos! Blu-ray last night. It’s a phenomenal disc. There’s so much stuff on it that I didn’t realize was missing from the original movie.
John Landis: Well, it’s not really missing. When you make a movie, you always—I can’t think of any movie but [Hitchcock's single-take film] Rope where they didn’t cut stuff out of it.
But it sounded like some of the footage actually ended up disappearing. Some of the stuff that you cut.
JL: Well, what happened is, that was made for a company called Orion, and Orion went out of business. So, unfortunately, when film companies go out of business, the negatives get shuffled around from lab to lab. And now the picture is owned by Warner Bros. And they had the negatives. And I had the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences store all my prints. And I had a print of the second preview. So that had a lot of stuff that was cut out. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t find the outs and trims of the Sam Kinison stuff and the Fran Drescher stuff, which I was sorry about.
Yeah. Can you talk about why that didn’t make it into the original film in the first place?
JL: Mainly for time. The movie was too long. And Sam and Fran, they were sequences that you could lift out of the movie and not impact the plot.
Sure. Were they irked? Were they like, ‘Where are we!?’
JL: They were disappointed, I think. Sam I had a good relationship with, and he completely understood.
How did you come into this project? I know that Steve [Martin] wrote the movie—
JL: With Lorne Michaels and Randy Newman.
Right. And how did you get involved, and what was the hook that was really drawing you into doing ¡Three Amigos!?
JL: Steve called me and said, ‘I have a project. Would you be interested?’ And I said, ‘Send me the script.’ And when I saw it was a Western, I immediately went, ‘Yes, please!’ I mean, I love Westerns. And it’s the only Western I’ve directed. But I’ve worked on a lot of Westerns, in Spain, and Durango. And I love the genre. So, even though, it’s a comedy, it was a Western. And you get to ride around on horses. It was fun.
Did you get to ride around on horses?
JL: Sure! I used to fall off horses for a living!
At what point in your career were you falling off horses for a living?
JL: I was a stunt person for years! After Kelly’s Heroes, where I was a gofer, I went with a guy named Jim O’Rourke. We went to Spain—that’s 1969—which was right in the middle of the Spaghetti boom. And they were making—gosh, I lived in a town called Almeria, and sometimes Madrid. In Almeria, there were always at least four and sometimes as many as ten productions going. It’s a desert town, near the ocean…I worked on Once Upon a Time in the West, and A Town Called Bastard. And just a lot of Westerns!
They needed a guy to fall off horses, and you were the guy.
JL: They needed a lot of guys to fall off horses. But I got very good at it, actually.
Is that how you kind of transitioned into directing? Through stunts?
JL: No!
I imagine something like, 'Hey, I’m really good at falling off horses! Let me direct a movie!'
JL: [Laughs] Yeah. That’s funny. People sometimes write that: ‘I started in the mailroom, and worked my way up.’ Which makes no sense! It’s not the military! That’s not how it works! [Laughs]
Working on this movie with these three big, strong personalities, comedic forces…what was it like?
JL: Actually, this movie was a pleasure from start to finish. Because it was a funny script, and Steve and Marty [Short] and…well, Steve and Marty met on the movie, and they’re still best friends. But Steve and Marty and Chevy [Chase], they take care of one another. They’re busy topping one another all the time. [Laughs] And it was a pleasure! There were no problems on this picture. And I really wanted it to look a certain way. I wanted it to look like a big Technicolor Hollywood Western of the ‘50s. So, the production designer, Dick Sawyer, and my wife, Deborah Nadoolman, the costume designer, went to a lot of trouble to make it right. And so, that’s why I was so happy with the opportunity to restore it to the way it’s supposed to look.
What was that process?
JL: What they do when you make a Blu-ray, they scan the negative. They learned this when they started to do high-def…but I’m not going to explain this in the correct terminology. These are not the right words.
No one will scrutinize you, trust me.
JL: Basically, you know what bits of information are? Like, a gigabyte?
Yeah! Absolutely!
JL: Okay…because I don’t. When you have a film negative, you have a 35mm negative that was shot on film and developed chemically, it turns out that by chemical processing, you only got about fifty-five to sixty percent of the information that’s on the negative. So when you scan it digitally…it’s very similar to what happened when they took the old mag stripes, and then digitized them, and redid the old Beatles tunes. They discovered that you could hear conversations in the hallway of the recording studio. There was so much more information on the stripe than they knew. And in ¡Three Amigos!, it looked gorgeous if you saw it in the first run. But after a while, prints get ragged. And home video, they just took off some release print that had seen a lot of work and had scratches in it, and was faded. So, I was very happy to be given the opportunity to restore it. Make it look the way it is supposed to look. Because we were trying to make it look like old pre-strip Technicolor.
Well, it definitely pops on the Blu-ray. I’ll say that. Was it just a straight-up retransfer?
JL: No, no, no! It’s a long process! You sit with the technicians and you go through every frame.
Oh, so this was a hands-on process for you.
JL: I didn’t do the…there’s, like, three weeks work before I get there where they remove all the scratches and blemishes. They just remove all that. Make it nice. And then—sometimes too nice! Sometimes I make them put stuff back. But then I come in and supervise the color timing, and the tonalities and stuff. And that took about two weeks.
It’s interesting to go through that process with a comedy. I think there's a mentality that comedies don't need to look sharp because they're all joke, joke, joke. But it’s a film, and it should look good. And obviously, the design of the film to echo those older films was important to you.
JL: I always feel that that stuff is important. I don’t know if you notice, but a movie like Animal House—everybody thinks it was a raucous comedy, but it also happened to be a period picture.
Sure.
JL: It was [set in] 1962, and we went to a lot of trouble to make it right. And Trading Places, or Spies Like Us, all those moves. I go to a lot of trouble to make them look good. In fact, sometimes I get—I remember with Spies Like Us, which I wish they would do a Blu-ray of, but I doubt they will—but on Spies Like Us, when the picture came out, I remember so well being punished because it looked too good. Charles Champlin, he was an LA Times critic, he wrote a piece talking about profiting in Hollywood. And he used the example of the way to make a movie: Back to the Future, which was shot entirely on the lot of Universal. And that is a wonderful movie. But his point was, ‘Then there’s Spies Like Us: this stupid comedy, where they were in four countries, went all over the world…’ And, you know, what Champlin didn’t understand was, we were in four countries because it was cheaper! In fact, Spies Like Us cost, like, one fifth of what Back to the Future cost.
That’s not even a criticism!
JL: Most critics don’t…
Don’t I know it. Thinking about finding the right balance of comedy—how do you know what’s funny? Is it all instinct?
JL: That’s just, ‘Is it funny to me?’ That’s all. And the thing with the three guys, they’re playing these characters…and what I liked in the script, and what I hope I captured in the movie, is that it’s a very different type of comedy than contemporary comedy. It’s much more like Laurel and Hardy. Because they’re sweet! They’re childish! They’re not mean! There’s no meanness in it.
Do you think today's comedies are meaner? Different than what you were producing a few decades ago?
JL: No, I mean, I enjoy Bridesmaids. I thought that was funny. There are comedies made that I think are funny.
That’s a relief. But do you feel like the landscape has changed for comedy?
JL: Well, the whole business has changed! It’s a very different time. The people, the studios. One: filmmakers aren’t given the freedoms we were. And two: everything’s committee now. It’s all corporate. And it’s about marketing and merchandise. It’s really about trying to control the filmmaker. It’s a different time. It’s just a different time in the business. I mean, good movies will continue to be made. But fewer and farther between.
Sure. Switching gears—I was watching an interview on the new disc, a conversation between the three guys and some studio person doing EPK footage.
JL: I don’t know what the hell that is.
Yeah. It’s a bizarre little interview.
JL: It’s bizarre because it’s clear they don’t want to be there.
[Laughs] No one’s prepared, including the interviewer, which was pretty amazing. But it’s candid. It’s interesting. Steve mentions in the interview that a sequel seemed like an inevitable thing to him. Or that one was always planned. This was a franchise to him.
JL: I don’t know. It is true that we all had a wonderful time making the movie. It was really fun. And it was pain-free, and it was a pleasure. You know, Walter Hill once said, ‘If they knew how much fun it was to make a Western, they wouldn’t let us.’ And I had such a good cast: Alfonso Arau and Tony Plana. Jorge Cervera. Joe Mantegna. I think it’s his first movie, Joe Mantegna. And it was just so much fun. And I know that Steve and Marty and Chevy just had the time of their lives, and I think they just wanted it to keep going. [Laughs]
Would you return to directing a straight-up comedy?
JL: Oh, of course!
Is that something that you have in the works?
JL: Well, you know, I tend to like wacky stuff, and the studios tend to be pretty formulaic now.
Would you ever go indie routes outside the studio?
JL: Oh, I have!
Burke &amp; Hare?
JL: Well, American Werewolf in London was independent. Kentucky Fried Movie was independent. And my last, Mr. Warmth, I made with my own money. You know, because no one would give me the money. So…I’ve been independent for so long!
Thankfully. Is working independently helping you bring your current projects to life? Do you have anything in the works?
JL: Oh, sure. I’m always trying to…right now I’ve got a comedy I’d like to make. But you know what happens when you’re successful, when something is successful? It’s instantly mainstream. No matter how radical it is. Like, rock and roll was the 'devil’s music' and race music, until they saw, ‘Wait a minute, look at the money this is making.’ And then it became big business. It’s very similar—I’ve been very lucky, because a lot of movie’s I’ve made, which were extremely radical at the time, were successful. I mean, they were shit on by the critics, but they were very successful. And when you become successful…people don’t look back at Animal House, or The Blues Brothers, or those pictures as out there as they were. [Laugh]
I don’t think anyone could see something like Blues Brothers being made today. Then again, you made a sequel to that movie.
JL: That was my last studio picture, because I had never experienced the new studios, where they fuck with you. And they cut your movie and basically fuck it up. That was very shocking.
Was Blues Brothers 2000 not a good experience for you?
JL: Well, shooting it was fun. The problem with Blues Brothers 2000 was, I don’t think the studio…Danny [Aykroyd] and I wrote a wonderful script. And for Danny, it was all about the music. ‘We must get these people on film.’ Ironically, he’s not wrong. I look at the movie now, and so many of those guys have passed away. So, we did put them on film.
Immortalize them, yeah.
JL: And the music is awesome, and most of it is recorded live.
Really?
JL: Yeah, because we could do that with the new technologies. Ninety percent of Blues Brothers 2000 is live. What happened to us was, the management that hired us to make the movie then was ousted, so we had new people come in. And they did not want to make the movie. And they kept giving us notes. By the time they were finished with the script, John Goodman had no character. And they insisted on a boy, and then insisted on a black Blues Brother…and it got to the point where I said, ‘Danny, they just castrated this movie!’ And Danny was, ‘It’s about the music with this.’ And our producer, Leslie Belzberg said something that was true. She said, ‘If you don’t cooperate, if you don’t say ‘yes’ to every note, then they won’t make the movie.’ Which was fine with me, but Danny was like, ‘We must [make the movie].’ And I love Dan Aykroyd. He’s a great person. So, we made the movie, and then they fucked with it! They even retimed it! I mean, that movie didn’t look like that!
It doesn’t even look the way you wanted!
JL: No! Look at The Blues Brothers, look at that! One is all like a Doris Day picture, and the other is dark and gritty. But The Blues Brothers 2000 has spectacular music in it, so I’m very happy.
You mentioned that you have a comedy that you’re looking to direct. Is there anything else that you have in the works?
JL: I think that I’m going to be making this very strange little monster movie in Paris next year.
A monster movie?
JL: Yeah. In French and in English.
Ooh!
JL: Two versions of it.
Can you tease at all?
JL: Well, it’s not like other monster movies. It’s a monster. It’s a real monster, and it takes place in Paris…which allows me to tell you, please mention my book that I just did!
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Out of IMDb's Top Fifty Westerns of all time, only five of the ranked movies were made after the year 1990. Kind of amazing, considering the genre was one of America's staples back in the early half of the 1900s, capable of spitting out a few dozen titles in a single year. But either audiences lost interest or Westerns lost their luster, as these days, the horse-riding, pistol-toting adventures only make their way into theaters when they're mixed with "blockbuster friendly" genres (Cowboys &amp; Aliens, Rango, Jonah Hex) or directed by auteurs with Oscar potential (The Coen Bros' True Grit).
But thanks to the world of independent film, the spirit of the Western is being kept alive—and, frankly, it might be the best way to do it.
Limiting the scope is what makes Blackthorn—a new film out now on VOD and in theaters October 7—a compelling, tension-filled Western. Forget large-scale set pieces—this isn't 3:10 to Yuma or any of the other action-driven cowboy stories of late. Instead, Blackthorn unfolds a character-driven quest across a sprawling backdrop, centered on one of the more infamous bandits in history: Butch Cassidy (played by rugged writing/acting legend Sam Shepard). The movie follows Cassidy—now living under the alias Blackthorn—as he wraps up a twenty-year stint in Bolivia and prepares for his journey back to America. With a horse, a gun and his life savings in hand, Cassidy makes his way across the Bolivian desert, a journey rudely interrupted by an on-the-run criminal, Eduardo (Eduardo Noriega). After a brief skirmish, Cassidy's horse runs off, leaving the two warring men to work together for survival.
Westerns are at their most familiar (and often cartoonish) when they let the plot do the talking. How many times can we really watch X rescue Y so he can Z without having an ounce of emotion invested in the scenario? Blackthorn rectifies the issue, not by conjuring up a crazy, never-before-seen plot, but by filling it with characters we care about. Whether intended or not, it plays like a spiritual sequel to the classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, including some flashback scenes starring a young Butch (courtesy of Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
What really transforms Blackthorn into a fresh take on an archetypical story is Shepard's Cassidy, a man burdened by his outlaw past. Through Shepard's weathered exterior, we understand Cassidy seeks redemption—which he believes will come after reuniting with The Sundance Kid's son. Blackthorn is at the end of is life and with only one goal, so while he's OK taking the life of anyone that stand's in the way of his mission (and, boy, does he do so), he's also accepting and warm to those who may have crossed him. He befriends Eduardo and contemplates the life pursuit of his lawmen hunter Mackinley (Stephen Rea). He reflects on the memories of his past that continue to haunt him, all while crossing the dangerous landscapes of Bolivia and escaping enemy fire.
Director Mateo Gil, writer of Abre Los Ojos (the original Vanilla Sky) and Oscar-nominee The Sea Inside, sets his film in a lush, unique setting and puts all his chips on Shepard. The gamble revitalizes the genre. Whereas HBO's Deadwood didn't feel anything like Stagecoach, Blackthorn's gritty, intimate tale maintains the most important part of the Western: the soul.
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After watching Nicolas Winding Refn's latest film Drive (which hits theaters this Friday), I realized that not only was he one of the more fascinating filmmaking voices working today, but that he also had the potential to work his magic for the mainstream. Refn's are gritty and tangible, but never feel tied down to reality. Drive fits that mold, an atypical crime/action movie that dabbles in the surreal, but the film's Los Angeles setting and casting of a recognizable star inherently make the film feel a bit more "Hollywood."
Not a bad thing—not every movie can detail the bloody behavior of Vikings (Valhalla Rising) or chronicle the life of a sadistic madman (Bronson)—but Drive is a triumph because Refn never loses any of what makes him unique. I recently had a chance to talk to the director about the making of Drive, collaborating with Ryan Gosling and the film's unlikely connections to Star Wars, New York and The Bible.
Matt Patches: Los Angeles is very much a character in the movie Being the setting for so many films, why did you want to set Drive in the city?
Nicolas Winding Refn: I didn’t want to shoot Sunset Boulevard. I didn’t want to shoot all the conventional kind of forms, because you’ve seen that so much—and it’s also not very attractive. What’s really attractive are the other parts of LA, which I find really beautiful and unique and strange and mystical. What’s unique about LA is when you get behind all the clichés, LA never left the ‘80s. You guys are still stuck in the ‘80s! Architecture, and things like that. That’s what I really like about it. So when people say, ‘Oh my God! Your movie had this throwback to the ‘80s!’ Well, I didn’t throw it back. I was actually shooting in the ‘80s.
Did the movie evolve from this realization that Los Angeles is stuck in another decade?
It was born out of an emotion I had driving to Santa Monica with Ryan Gosling to do a movie about a man who drives around at night listening to pop music—that’s his emotional release. He was using that as a basis for everything.
The music is a vital part of this movie, integral to the vibe we see on screen. How do you go about finding the music? Do the ideas from the film come from you listening to music?
Very much. I don’t do drugs anymore. Music is very much like a drug for me. It gives me images in my mind that I would like to see. Not always understanding them, but knowing, ‘This is what I would like to see.’
How do you discover some of the songs? Can you talk about some of the songs that are in the movie, and how you found them?
I have Matt Newman, who edited the movie. He is my in-house editor. He did Bronson for me. We actually met on Miss Marple, when I was broke as hell and needed money. And he was an unknown editor. I hired him for Miss Marple, and he went on and did Bronson for me, [then] we did Valhalla Rising together. Actually, one of my contractual conditions was that I brought Matt Newman over from England to cut the movie at my house. He’s going on to Only God Forgives [Refn’s next film] with me and Ryan, and of course Logan’s Run, and so forth. I always said I wanted an electronic score. He and I would then spend a lot of time figuring out what electronic score would be interesting. Matt is very interested in alternative music and what’s happening in the music world in terms of bands. I’m more just happy finding the greatest hits of Duran Duran. He’s more into what’s happening in the music scene in the corners. He would play various ideas and I would pick the ones I liked. And of course one of them [is] Johnny Jewel, which we had used before in Bronson. And then I had Cliff Martinez (Traffic, Contagion) emulate that sound a lot of the times for his own scores.
In the film, Ryan Gosling is a very serious, very stoic guy. I don’t know what he’s like in real life, but how did you know he was right for the part and find this character in his abilities.
In real life, he is very much like me. We are very similar in our sensibilities and our interests. He has the physical strength to stop a fight in the street.
Yeah, I saw!
I just texted him that he’s my hero. But, we’re very telekinetic in a sense.
Really…
We just kind of let it flow and see what happens. Also, I shoot my films in chronological order, which makes it easier for an actor to just deal with what comes to him.
In terms of your relationship working on set: does it involve a lot of asking questions? Or is it all about vibe? It sounds like with telekinesis there might not be a whole lot of talking.
I always say to the actors, keep the energy within. Keep it inside. All inside.
I heard about you guys spending a lot of time together, hanging out at your house, or driving around in a car.
Yeah. We would hang out at my house. We wrote the movie at my house. And we’d drive around at night. My family would come and visit me—unfortunately, they couldn’t live with me—but they would come back and forth. I was very lonely a lot of the nights. I would go for drives to the 101, eat, hang out. We were living the movie. We were living the movie as we were writing it.
That’s amazing. Now with this movie and some of your previous work—Bronson and Valhalla Rising, especially—violence plays a major role It’s not gratuitous, but there are extreme moments of violence. What do these moments of violence mean to you? Why do you find them important to pepper them throughout your films?
I like extreme emotions. I try to visualize extreme emotions through violence. Like the Bible does.
Wow, how do you think that the Bible works, or speaks to that idea?
The Bible shows you consequences of your actions visually.
Are you a religious person?
No. I’m Danish—come on! We believe in pornography. And drinking.
Do you feel like there’s a lot of your Danish sensibility in Drive? Even though this is a movie that takes place in L.A. does your Danish side of you creep out?
No, because I’m not particularly Danish. I have a Danish passport, but I’m a New Yorker by heart. That’s where I grew up.
Oh, excellent! So then I should ask: is there a lot of New York in this movie?
That’s an interesting question. I don’t know. I think, maybe, there’s a lot of New York in the sensibilities of loving concrete and loving urban environments and cities.
There’s a lot of driving in this movie, obviously (it’s in the title), so what goes into a great car chase? Or making driving look as sexy as it does in this movie?
Well, you gotta make every scene that has driving its own self, and not just repeat the same tricks again and again. So, it was like coming up with the fight scenes in Bronson, and how each fight scene would differ the other. Each fight scene has its own character. But they’re quite dull to make. It’s all about logistics. And I didn’t have a lot of money to make these driving scenes, so we had to be really, really on the nose and sparse. There was really no time for experiments. We just kind of shot it… point-of-view, reverse…but things that actually work. So you go with that, and then you try to figure out how you can add a little spice to them. Sound, the sound of the engines, the visuals. And also, don’t make them fly.
Don’t make them fly?
Yeah.
Just like…speed-wise, or what do you mean?
The whole CGI thing, where cars can [fly].
That’s interesting because the movie does incorporate its own fantastical elements. Something like the elevator scene—lights going dim, they’re in this out of body moment—it’s slightly less realistic. Is it difficult to weave those moments in when you’re trying to keep the movie grounded?
No. It was how the movie progressed. It was like a fairy tale. It became more and more about fantasy. And the audience will believe that if they believe the emotions. We’re like Star Wars. If you catch their emotions, people actually believe hyperspace exists.
Valhalla Rising is a very dark, historical film. Something like Drive—it’s elegantly done, but again, it has the violence. So your upcoming Only God Forgives—what kind of genre is that falling into? Or tonally. It doesn’t seem like you want to put yourself in the corner here.
I WILL NOT BE CONTROLLED. Well, you know, I’ve always wanted to do a Western.
You wanna do a Western?
…In Asia. So I thought, I’ll do Only God Forgives there.
Gotcha. Are you going to shoot that on location in Bangkok?
Absolutely. Shoot in Bangkok. Moving to Bangkok in four weeks.
Wow! Is that an exciting thing? I’ve never been.
It’s f*ckin’ awesome. Been there five years in a row. We go on vacations—my family—there each year.
So, tonally speaking, how will you approach it? Like Valhalla Rising: very dark—and [Drive] is very glamorous or slick at points. What is the tone going to be like for this new one?
Well, Bangkok reminds me very much of Blade Runner.
That makes sense. So will it have that rainy, blooming lights kind of feel?
No, it’s actually the exact opposite. It’s gigantic, beautiful, lights, buildings…everything is lit up. Like a sci-fi world.
And scope-wise, is this a bigger film? I see a kind of progression—Drive feels like a bigger production than Valhalla Rising or Bronson. Is that the direction in which you feel like you’re going?
Oh, no. Only God Forgives is cheaper. But that’s because I’m shooting in Asia. Drive was a little more expensive because I wanted to shoot in Los Angeles. That itself is very expensive. Shooting Valhalla Rising, it was the same thing. And doing Bronson. Drive was shot in seven weeks. Bronson was shot in five weeks. Valhalla Rising was shot in seven weeks. So, it’s a shooting scenario that I’m accustomed to. I’m looking forward to the day where I actually have more than eight weeks to shoot a film.
Well, that might be Logan’s Run.
I expect nothing else. All that money!
Do you think you’ll still have the same control if you start doing more studio-driven work? Or is that part of the deal?
When you’re that level, it’s a different game, a different league you’re in. Things have to be financially successful. You have to respect that and understand that. But then, that becomes the trick: how do you make your movie against all obstacles?
I wish you the best on that. It might be difficult.
You never know!
You can contact Matt Patches directly on Twitter @misterpatches and remember to follow@Hollywood_com!

As with seemingly every other tentpole release to hit the multiplex this summer the action thriller Cowboys &amp; Aliens is based on a comic book – albeit a lesser-known one. It’s directed by Jon Favreau whose previous comic-book adaptations Iron Man and Iron Man 2 proved how much better those films can be when they’re grounded in character. Unfortunately his latest effort is grounded not in character but a hook an alt-history scenario best expressed in the language of the average twelve-year-old: “Like wouldn’t it be awesome if like a bunch of 1870s cowboys had to fight a bunch of crazy aliens with exoskeletons and spaceships and super-advanced weapons?”
Like perhaps. The hook was compelling enough to get someone to pony up a reported $160 million to find out and the result is a film in which the western and science-fiction genres don’t so much blend as violently collide. After the wreckage is cleared both emerge worse for wear.
Daniel Craig stars as Jake Lonergan a stranger who awakens in the New Mexico Territory with a case of amnesia a wound in his side and a strange contraption strapped to his wrist. After dispatching a trio of bandits with Bourne-like efficiency he rides to the nearby town of Absolution where he stumbles on what appears to be an elaborate Western Iconography exhibit presented by the local historical preservation society. There’s the well-meaning town Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine) struggling to enforce order amidst lawlessness; the greedy rancher Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) who really runs things; his debaucherous cowardly son Percy (Paul Dano); the timid saloonkeeper Doc (Sam Rockwell) who’s going to stand up for himself one of these days; the humble preacher Meacham (Clancy Brown) dispensing homespun spiritual advice; et al.
Jake of course has his own part to play – the fugitive train-robber – as we discover when his face shows up on a wanted poster and a sneering Dolarhyde fingers him for the theft of his gold. The only character who doesn’t quite conform to type is Ella (Olivia Wilde) who as neither a prostitute nor some man’s wife – the traditional female occupations in westerns – immediately arouses suspicion.
Jake is arrested and ordered to stand trial in Federal court but before he can be shipped off a squadron of alien planes appears in the sky besieging Absolution and making off with several of its terrified citizenry. In the course of the melee Jake’s wrist contraption wherever it came from reveals itself to be quite useful in defense against the alien invaders. Thrown by circumstances into an uneasy alliance with Dolarhyde he helps organize a posse to counter the otherworldly threat – and bring back the abductees if possible.
Cowboys &amp; Aliens has many of the ingredients of a solid summer blockbuster but none in sufficient amounts to rate in a summer season crowded with bigger-budget (and better-crafted) spectacle. For a film with five credited screenwriters Cowboys &amp; Aliens’ script is sorely lacking for verve or imagination. And what happened to the Favreau of Iron Man? The playful cheekiness that made those films so much fun is all but absent in this film which takes itself much more seriously than any film called Cowboys &amp; Aliens has a right to. Dude you’ve got men on horses with six-shooters battling laser-powered alien crab people. Lighten up.
Craig certainly looks the part of the western anti-hero – his only rival in the area of rugged handsomeness is Viggo Mortensen – but his character is reduced to little more than an angry glare. And Wilde the poor girl is burdened with loads of clunky exposition. The two show promising glimpses of a romantic spark but their relationship remains woefully underdeveloped. Faring far better is Ford who gets not only the bulk of the film’s choicest lines but also its only touching subplot in which his character’s adopted Indian son played by Adam Beach quietly coaxes the humanity out of the grizzled old man.

Comic-Con. The mecca of pop culture.
Movies, TV, Comic and Gaming enthusiasts will gather in the temperate California town for a five-day, pop culture extravaganza, where the top dogs in every field come to showcase their latest and greatest products. Whether it's the Hall H premiere trailer of a new summer blockbuster, the cast meet and greet in Ballroom 20 for the hot new TV show or just a sit down with some insightful creator-types in a dark and dingy backroom, SDCC is always full of surprises and this year looks to be no different.
We'll be there on the ground floor picking up all the news bites as they break, but you can check out the schedule for the first two days below -- and better prepare for the onslaught of updates!
Saturday, July 23
10:00-11:30 Activision— Legends from across the Marvel landscape and the entertainment industry come together in one epic panel to discuss their roles in upcoming Activision Marvel video games X-Men Destiny and Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Comic book legend Stan Lee reflects upon the latest adventures of his creations with famed Marvel writer Peter David (creator of Spider-Man 2099) and Marvel VP of Games TQ Jefferson. Dee Brown, studio head of Beenox, and Jullian Spillane, project director of Silicon Knights, give everyone an inside look into how they balance staying true to the Marvel universe while bringing something original and exciting to fans in a video game. A talented voice cast of known celebrities rounds out the legends to discuss bringing Marvel characters to life in the games (check Facebook.com/HeroHQ for announcements). Finally, see an exclusive preview of never-before-seen footage for the upcoming games, and enter a chance to win a one-of-a-kind poster signed by Stan Lee himself at the panel! Moderated by Ryan Penagos, editorial director of Marvel.com. Room 5AB
10:00-10:45 Chuck Screening and Q&amp;A— Comic-Con fan-favorite Chuck returns with a bang for its farewell panel to celebrate its fifth and final season. Executive producer and co-creator Chris Fedak, along with series stars Zachary Levi (Alvin and the Chipmunks), Yvonne Strahovski (upcoming My Mother's Curse), Joshua Gomez (Without a Trace), Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence (The Pursuit of Happyness), Vik Sahay (Good Will Hunting), Scott Krinsky (The O.C.) with Sarah Lancaster (The Good Doctor), and Adam Baldwin (Serenity), offer a Q&amp;A with fans and an unforgettable video presentation. Produced by Fake Empire, Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Chuck airs Friday at 8:00 ET/PT on NBC, and Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD this fall. Ballroom 20
10:30-11:30 Marvel Television— Marvel's head of TV Jeph Loeb brings the inside scoop on Marvel's latest series that take your favorite heroes from page to screen. Get a first look at the premiere of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes season two, a sneak peek at a certain ultimate webslinger, and a few other surprises from Marvel Television. Room 6BCF
10:30-11:30 The Return of Action-Adventure Animation— The pendulum of audience and network taste in animation regularly swings between wacky comedy, comedy-adventure, and true action-adventure. And that's where it seems to be heading right now. The Writers Guild of America's Animation Writers Caucus returns to Comic-Con with a panel of animation writers and studio and network executives discussing whether it's really changing and what to expect. Panelists include moderator Craig Miller (Beast Wars, G.I. Joe), Stan Berkowitz (The 99, Justice League), Steven Melching (Transformers Prime, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Warner Bros. Animation's director of series and shorts Jeff Prezenkowski (Thundercats, Green Lantern), and others. Room 8
11:00-12:00 Terra Nova— Star Stephen Lang (Avatar), executive producer Rene Echevarria (Castle, Medium, The 4400, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), executive producer Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise), and co-executive producer Jose Molina (Haven, Castle) premiere footage from the highly anticipated epic adventure series 85 million years in the making, set to premiere this September on FOX. This new event drama from the minds of Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, The Pacific) and Peter Chernin follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race. Ballroom 20
11:00-12:00 Sanctuary— Thrilling action, revolutionary green screen sets, and more bumps in the night than you can count. Catch Amanda Tapping (Helen Magnus), Robin Dunne (Will Zimmerman), and moderator Josh Gates (Destination Truth) as they take you inside Syfy's hit series Sanctuary. Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
11:45-12:45 TWIXT: Francis Ford Coppola and Dan Deacon— Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and acclaimed musician Dan Deacon present sequences from Coppola's latest film, TWIXT, and involve the audience in a dress rehearsal of the completely unique and innovative way they plan on performing it. Plus a Q&amp;A session. Hall H
12:00-1:00 The Art of Adapting Comics to the Screen— It's a landmark summer for comic-based films and with millions of dollars and the reputations of the properties being adapted at stake, it's important to examine the process by which these films come to life. Moderator Jeff Goldsmith (host of The Q&amp;A with Jeff Goldsmith podcast) interviews screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (co-writers of Cowboys and Aliens) and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America) as they shed light on their unique screenwriting habits and process of adaptation. Room 23ABC
12:00-1:00 Being Human— Find out why Being Human is harder than it looks -- especially when you're a vampire, werewolf, or ghost. Don't miss Sam Witwer (Aidan), Meaghan Rath (Sally), and Sam Huntington (Josh) as they join executive producers Jeremy Carver and Anna Fricke on Syfy's first Being Human panel, moderated by award-winning writer Nadira Hira (expert on Generation Y; contributor, Fortune magazine). Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
12:15-1:00 Futurama— Futurama is back! Again! On stage will be creator/executive producer Matt Groening, executive producer David X. Cohen, and stars Billy West (Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg), Katey Sagal (Leela), John DiMaggio (Bender), and Maurice LaMarche (Kif Kroker, Calculon, Morbo). Get a sneak peek at never-before-seen footage of Futurama reincarnated as Japanese anime, along with a thrilling preview of this summer's new season on Comedy Central. Moderated by Bill Morrison. Ballroom 20
12:30-1:30 Marvel Interactive: Marvel Video Games— Learn all about Spider-Man: Edge of Time, X-Men Destiny, Captain America: Super Soldier, Super Hero Squad Online, Super Hero Squad 3DS and uDraw, Marvel Pinball, and the Marvel Universe MMO. Also, find out some exciting new details about the future of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and other Marvel games via exclusive trailers, surprise reveals, and Q&amp;A with the game creators from some of the industry's top publishers. Room 6A
1:00-1:45 The Simpsons— Now entering its record-annihilating 23rd season on FOX and airing its landmark 500th episode on February 19, 2012, The Simpsons has won 27 Emmy awards, was the subject of an international film smash in 2007, and inspired a ride you ride again at Universal Studios. Plus, Homer Simpson was named the greatest television character of the last 20 years by Entertainment Weekly. Get insight into the daily doings of this series from creator Matt Groening, showrunner Al Jean, co-executive producer Rob Lazebnik, co-executive producer Matt Warburton, supervising producer Mike Anderson, and producer/panel moderator Tom Gammill. Ballroom 20
1:00-2:00 Designing the SuperHero Costume: Costume Designers, Costume Illustrators and Superhero Costume Builders— Costume designers work with costume illustrators to translate graphic artists' renderings into wearable, functioning, cinematic costumes. Hear the inside stories from the people who bring the superhero costume to life. Moderator Deborah Nadoolman Landis (member of Costume Designers Guild, Local 892, costume designer, Raiders of the Lost Ark, director of the David C. Copley Center for Costume Design at UCLA) is joined by costume designers Christine Bieslin-Clark (co-costume designer, Tron: Legacy) and Ellen Mirojnick (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), Christian Beckman of Quantum FX, Inc. (specialty costume fabricator, Tron: Legacy, Watchmen), costume manufacturers Mary Ellen Fields of Bill Hargate Costumes (Iron Man 2), and Marilyn Madsen (Star Trek TV series), and costume illustrators Constantine Sekeres (Thor, Green Lantern) and Christian Cordella (GI Joe 2: Cobra Strikes, Captain America: The Last Avenger). Room 23ABC
1:00-2:00 Relativity Media: Immortals— Visionary director Tarsem Singh transports viewers in this epic tale of treachery, vengeance, and destiny in this stylish and visually spectacular 3D action adventure. The brutal and bloodthirsty King Hyperion and his murderous Heraklion (Mickey Rourke) rampage across Greece in search of the long lost Bow of Epirus. With the invincible Bow, the king will be able to overthrow the Gods of Olympus and become the undisputed master of his world. As village after village is obliterated, a stonemason named Theseus vows to avenge his mother, who was killed in one of Hyperion's brutal raids. When Theseus meets the Sybelline Oracle Phaedra, her disturbing visions of the young man's future convince her that he is the key to stopping the destruction. With her help, Theseus assembles a small band of followers and embraces his destiny in a final, desperate battle for the future of humanity. Stars Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz will participate in this panel alongside producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton. Hall H
1:00-2:00 Community— The cast and creative team from Sony TV's critically acclaimed NBC series -- Joel McHale (The Soup), Chevy Chase (Hot Tub Time Machine), Donald Glover (30 Rock), Yvette Nicole Brown (Rules of Engagement), Danny Pudi (Greek), Gillian Jacobs (Choke), Alison Brie (Mad Men), and Ken Jeong (The Hangover Part II), and executive producers Dan Harmon (The Sarah Silverman Program), Joe Russo (Arrested Development), Anthony Russo (Arrested Development), Neil Goldman (Scrubs), Garrett Donovan (Scrubs) and Russ Krasnoff (The Soloist) -- come together for an animated discussion and Q&amp;A session about what's in store for viewers this fall! Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
2:00-2:35 Family Guy— Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Adam West (Batman), and executive producers Mark Hentemann, Steve Callaghan, and Kara Vallow present a sneak peek at the new episode Stewie Goes for a Drive, featuring voice guest star Ryan Reynolds, followed by a Q&amp;A session. Ballroom 20
2:15-3:15 Knights of Badassdom— In this humorous fantasy adventure from IndieVest Pictures, Joe (Ryan Kwanten) is a heavy metal rocker who's just gone through a painful breakup with his girlfriend, Beth (Margarita Levieva). His concerned roommates (Steve Zahn, Peter Dinklage) kidnap him to their LARP (Live Action Role Playing) gathering, where he enters a realm of fantasy escapism in which pretend knights, elves, and barbarians clash with foam weaponry on a mock battlefield. When Joe's "sorcerer" roommate (Zahn) inadvertently summons a deadly succubus that takes Beth's seductive form, bloody reality crashes down on their fantasy world. Once LARPers start to turn up dead, the make-believe wizards and warriors must become the real-life heroes they have been pretending to be in order to conquer the evil that has been unleashed. The panel will include a Comic-Con exclusive trailer and a discussion/Q&amp;A with stars Ryan Kwanten (HBO's True Blood, Red Hill), Peter Dinklage (HBO's Game of Thrones, Station Agent), Steve Zahn, pending availability (HBO's Tremé, Saving Silverman), Summer Glau (Firefly, Serenity, The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Danny Pudi (NBC's Community), Jimmi Simpson, pending availability (A&amp;E's Breakout Kings, Date Night), Margarita Levieva (The Lincoln Lawyer, Adventureland). and director Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2). Knights of Badassdom will be released in Spring 2012. Hall H
2:30-3:30 TV Guide Magazine Presents: Super Supernaturals— Moderated by TV Guide senior editor William Keck, this panel features the most super supernaturals, super witches, and super werewolves from new series and returning favorites. Panelists include John Barrowman (Torchwood), Kristin Bauer (True Blood), Thomas Dekker (The Secret Circle), David Greenwalt (Grimm), Theo James (Bedlam), Jim Kouf (Grimm), Britt Robertson (The Secret Circle), Phoebe Tonkin (The Secret Circle), and Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf). Room 5AB
2:35-3:15 American Dad— Catch a preview of the Season 7 premiere of American Dad, featuring guest star Cee-Lo Green as a singing hot tub, followed by a Q&amp;A with cast members Wendy Schaal, Scott Grimes, Rachael MacFarlane, and Dee Bradley Baker and executive producers Mike Barker, Matt Weitzman, and Kara Vallow. Ballroom 20
3:00-4:00 Assassin's Creed: The Creation of a Universe— The writers behind Assassin's Creed Revelations discuss and answer your questions about the thrilling fourth installment in the critically acclaimed entertainment franchise. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Ezio's final journey will unfold as he walks in the footsteps of his legendary mentor, Altair, on a perilous journey of doubt and discovery. Watch the exclusive preview of Assassin's Creed Embers, the animated short film and explore how the Ubisoft Montreal development team has created an Assassin's Creed universe that weaves real world history and global conspiracies into an ancient war between Assassins and Templars through a variety of media. Panelists will include creators of the upcoming Assassin's Creed Revelations game, animated short film, and comic book. Room 25ABC
3:00-4:00 Dark Horse: Joss Whedon— Long before signing on to helm one of the most anticipated superhero films in history, Joss Whedon rewarded fans the world over with some of the most compelling characters and plot lines in the history of comics, television, and movies. Here's your chance to find out what he has in store for us next, including a sneak peek at the brand-new Angel &amp; Faith and Buffy Season 9 comics, plus exciting news about Buffy digital comics! Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
3:30-4:15 The Vampire Diaries Screening and Q&amp;A— All the way from Mystic Falls, the cast and creative team behind The Vampire Diaries descend on Comic-Con for a third time! Series stars Nina Dobrev (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Paul Wesley (Roll Bounce), Ian Somerhalder (Lost), Candice Accola (Juno), and Joseph Morgan (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) join executive producers/writers Kevin Williamson (Scream) and Julie Plec (Kyle XY) to enthrall fans with a season two highlight reel and Q&amp;A session. This edgy, romantic drama remains the number-one series on The CW and promises another round of twists, turns and "triangles" in season three. From Bonanza Productions Inc., Outerbanks Entertainment, and Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW, and The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD August 30. Ballroom 20
3:30-4:15 Universal Pictures: Snow White and the Huntsmen— Universal Pictures is bringing the stars and filmmakers of its epic action-adventure film based on the script Snow White and the Huntsman to Comic-Con. Scheduled to appear to discuss their roles in this breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale are Kristen Stewart (Twilight), Oscar winner Charlize Theron (Prometheus), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides). Director Rupert Sanders (Halo 3 campaign) and other filmmakers will also be on hand to reveal exclusive footage. Q&amp;A session to follow. Hall H
4:15-5:15 Grimm: World Premiere Pilot Screening and Q&amp;A with Cast and Producers from the New Supernatural Series— From the creative minds behind fan-favorite series Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and X-Files, comes a new world of police work where all cases have a storybook connection...but not always happily ever after. Grimm, debuting on NBC this fall, is a provocative police procedural with a supernatural mythology, inspired by the classic Grimm Brothers' fairy tales. Those weren't stories -- they were warnings. Be the first to watch the pilot episode and participate in a Q&amp;A session with the cast and producers: David Giuntoli (Turn the Beat Around), Russell Hornsby (Lincoln Heights), Bitsie Tulloch (Quarterlife), Silas Weir Mitchell (Prison Break), Reggie Lee (Persons Unknown), and Sasha Roiz (Caprica) and executive producers/writers Jim Kouf (Angel) and David Greenwalt (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Room 6A
4:30-5:15 Fringe Screening and Q&amp;A— Fringe returns to Comic-Con with series stars Anna Torv, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, and John Noble and executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman for a Q&amp;A with fans and an exclusive video presentation. Delve into parallel universes and alternate doppelgangers and join the discussion about this critically acclaimed thriller as Fringe continues to explore otherworldly cases with endless impossibilities. From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe airs Fridays at 9/8c on FOX, and Fringe: The Complete Third Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 6. Ballroom 20
4:30-5:30 Further over the Rainbow: A First Look at Dorothy of Oz— Join the author and creator, Roger Baum (great grandson of L. Frank Baum), songwriter, producers, and various cast members of Summertime Entertainment's Dorothy of Oz, as they discuss the many angles of creating the anticipated new 2012 animated musical starring Lea Michele (Glee), Megan Hilty (Wicked, Spielberg's Smash), Martin Short (How I Met Your Mother, Frankenweenie), and Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: TNG, X-Men). Be the very first to see the footage, hear the music, and witness a surprise new casting announcement. Q&amp;A to follow. Hall H
5:00-6:00 Costume Designers &amp; Costume Illustrators— Meet the men and women who are the costume designers and costume illustrators on this year's blockbuster films. Moderator Susan Nininger (member of Costume Designers Guild, Local 892; costume designer, The Bodyguard) talks to panelists and costume designers Julie Weiss (Twelve Monkeys, The Ring), Joseph Porro (Stargate, Ultra Violet), Wendy Chuck (Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Twilight), and costume illustrators Christian Cordella (G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes, Captain America: The First Avenger), Constantine Sekeres (G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes, Superman: Man of Steel, Thor, Green Lantern), Phillip Boutte (Superman: Man of Steel, Twilight Saga), and Brian Valenzuela (Super 8, Mission Impossible 4). Room 23ABC
5:00-6:00 Charlie's Angels— The cast and creative team from Sony TV's highly anticipated action-packed series Charlie's Angels for ABC -- Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital), Minka Kelly (Parenthood, Friday Night Lights), Rachael Taylor (Grey's Anatomy), Ramon Rodriguez (The Wire, Daybreak) and executive producers Alfred Gough (Smallville) and Miles Millar (Smallville) come to Comic-Con to discuss their new series. The series is also executive-produced by Drew Barrymore (Charlie's Angels movies), Leonard Goldberg (the original Charlie's Angels), Nancy Juvonen (Charlie's Angels movies), and Marcos Siega (Vampire Diaries, Dexter). Join the cast &amp; producers for a dynamic discussion and Q&amp;A session about what's in store for viewers this fall! Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
5:15-6:00 Alcatraz Pilot Screening and Q&amp;A— Catch a special pilot screening of Alcatraz, a chilling new thriller centering on America's most infamous prison and the mysterious return of its most notorious criminals. When an Alcatraz inmate is discovered walking the streets of present-day San Francisco -- not having aged a bit since the 1960s -- a sinister threat begins to unravel. Where have these prisoners been? Why are they back? After the screening, there will be a special Q&amp;A with Alcatraz writer and executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost) and series stars Sarah Jones (Sons of Anarchy) and Jorge Garcia (Lost). From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television, Alcatraz will air midseason on FOX. Ballroom 20
5:30-6:30 Teen Wolf— MTV's critically acclaimed hit series Teen Wolf is coming back to Comic-Con! Join the cast -- Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed, Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Hoechlin, Holland Roden, and Colton Haynes -- along with executive producer Jeff Davis (creator, Criminal Minds), and director/co-executive producer Russell Mulcahy (director, Resident Evil: Extinction) for a Q&amp;A session, plus an exclusive sneak peak at the remaining four episodes. Room 24ABC
5:45-7:30 An Early Evening with Kevin Smith— You know Comic-Con is over for the night on Saturday when the fat man sings. Kevin Smith takes to the Hall H stage for his annual Q&amp;A. Fair warning: he works bluer than Doctor Manhattan (though, unlike Doctor Manhattan, Smith will wear clothes for this performance). Hall H
6:00-7:00 Twisted Metal— David Jaffe, director and lead designer of God of War and co-director of the upcoming Playstation 3 exclusive Twisted Metal, reveals the newest Twisted trailer featuring the demented Dollface and shows off a near final cut of the game's opening live-action cinematic. David will also take the audience through the single-player campaign, including a sneak peak of a new boss: The Brothers Grimm! Plus lots more Twisted surprises! Room 5AB
6:00-6:45 Nikita Screening and Q&amp;A— Nikita returns to Comic-Con with series stars Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible 3), Shane West (ER), Lyndsy Fonseca (Kick-Ass), and executive producer Craig Silverstein (Bones) for its latest mission: to unveil an exclusive video presentation and reveal classified information from the highly anticipated second season that finds Nikita and Michael on the run with a black box containing the government's darkest secrets. Leading the hunt for them is Alex...and she knows all of Nikita's tricks. What will the Comic-Con Q&amp;A reveal? From Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, Nikita airs Fridays at 8/7c on The CW. Nikita: The Complete First Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 30. Room 6BCF
6:00-7:00 Behind the Music with CW3PR: Composing for Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror— Join scoring and composing legends Nathan Barr (True Blood), Michael Giacchino (Super 8, John Carter, Mission: Impossible), James Levine (Glee), Jim Dooley (Wilfred), Danny Jacob (Phineas and Ferb), Robert Duncan (Castle, The Entitled), and Edward Rogers (Warehouse 13), as they discuss their pivotal role in some of today's top film &amp; TV projects. Special guest moderator to be revealed at panel. Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
6:45-7:30 Person of Interest Pilot Screening and Q&amp;A— A peerless creative team is behind this new white-knuckle action series -- including creator/executive producer Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight) and showrunner/executive producer Greg Plageman (Cold Case) -- about an ex-CIA agent, presumed dead, who partners with a mysterious billionaire to prevent violent crimes in New York City. Join these producers plus stars Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line), Michael Emerson (Lost), and Taraji P. Henson (Academy Award nominee, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) for an inside look at one of the most anticipated new shows of the fall season, including an exclusive screening of the pilot episode and Q&amp;A. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television, Person of Interest will air Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS. Room 6BCF
9:30-10:30 FX Pilot Sneak Peek Screening— Surprise! Stop by for a special Saturday night sneak peek at one of FX's most highly anticipated pilots. At press time, details of this exclusive screening event were unable to be released by FX, so please check the room sign outside of Room 6DE for updated details. Room 6DE
Sunday, July 24
10:00-11:00 Young Justice Screening and Q&amp;A— Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Red Arrow, and Superboy -- these aren't your average sidekicks and this isn't your average cartoon. In a short amount of time, and with just a small number of episodes, fans have embraced this new action-adventure series as Warner Bros. Animation has brought some of their favorite DC heroes to life. Following a special screening, producers Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles) and members of the creative team will answer your burning questions on what the future holds for "the team." Young Justice Season 1, Part 1 is available on DVD now. Room 7AB
10:00-11:00 The Evolution from Warhawk to Starhawk: The New Universe that Is Starhawk and the Characters Behind the Conflict— Meet the creative minds behind Starhawk, the spiritual successor to Warhawk, as they introduce you to an exciting new world set in the lawless frontier of space. The team at LightBox Interactive and Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica Studio bring you an action-packed story with compelling characters, beginning with hired gunslinger Emmett Graves. Learn about how Emmett must navigate through Starhawk's brutal playground of large-scale combat, where the tide of battle turns all the time. You'll discover details about Emmett's backstory, his affliction to Rift Energy, and his overwhelming distaste for The Outcast, the war band of deadly monstrosities that he must fight to destroy in this PlayStation 3 exclusive. IGN.com's Greg Miller moderates with Starhawk's creative director Lars DeVore (LightBox Interactive), senior producer Harvard Bonin (SCEA Santa Monica Studio), studio director John Hight (SCEA Santa Monica Studio), and writer, Koen Wooten, who provide insight into the creative process behind Starhawk's space western universe with never-before-seen concept art, exclusive story details, and in-depth commentary, straight from the men behind this innovative new shooter experience. Room 25ABC
10:00-11:00 Glee— Creator/executive producer Ryan Murphy, creator/executive producer Brad Falchuk, and stars of Glee present a sneak peek at Glee The 3D Concert Movie featuring never-before-seen footage, behind-the-scenes secrets, and Q&amp;A session. Hall H
11:00-12:00 Allen Gregory— Creator/executive producer and star Jonah Hill (Superbad, Get Him to the Greek), showrunner David Goodman (Family Guy), and creators/executive producers Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul, along with an all-star voice cast including French Stewart and Nat Faxon, present a sneak peek at FOX's new animated series that tells the story of the most pretentious 7-year-old of our time. Exclusive preview of Allen Gregory animation will be followed by a fan Q&amp;A session. Room 25ABC
11:15-12:15 Supernatural Screening and Q&amp;A— For the first time ever, the Supernatural panel will be in Hall H! Series stars Jared Padalecki (Friday the 13th [2009]) and Jensen Ackles (My Bloody Valentine 3D) and additional cast members and executive producers present an exclusive sneak peek at footage from the highly anticipated seventh season of this thrill-ride series. The panel will answer questions from the audience, show a portion of the special features from the upcoming Supernatural: The Complete Sixth Season DVD and Blu-ray release (in stores September 13), and give Comic-Con fans a sneak peek at Supernatural: The Anime Series, coming to DVD and Blu-ray on July 26. Supernatural airs Fridays at 9/8c on The CW and is produced by Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television. Hall H
11:45-12:45 One-on-One with Castle Star Nathan Fillion— Nathan Fillion (Firefly) and the cast of Castle offer a lively discussion about their popular ABC crime-solving series. If you at last year's panel, you'll remember the fun and surprises. Enjoy a sneak peek into season four and walk away with Double Rainbow! Room 6BCF
12:30-1:30 BBC America's Doctor Who— Stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, along with writers and producers, make their first Comic-Con appearance for a panel and Q&amp;A! They're bringing exclusive new footage of the new season to be shown ahead of its late summer return on BBC America. Doctor Who follows the adventures of the Doctor, the mysterious traveler who journeys throughout all of time and space, picking up companions along the way and almost always sidestepping danger. From award-winning lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat and starring BAFTA nominee Matt Smith as the Doctor and Karen Gillan as his companion Amy Pond, the second season's Part One delivered record ratings for BBC America and marked the first time Doctor Who filmed on American soil. Also starring Arthur Darvill and Alex Kingston, the Part One finale ended with the unveiling of a massive secret and the words "Let's Kill Hitler" on screen. Part One is now available on Blu-ray/DVD/iTunes, and Part Two premieres late summer on BBC America's Supernatural Saturdays. Hall H
1:00-2:00 International Hit Merlin Returns to Comic-Con with its Popular Cast— Global sensation Merlin comes back to Comic-Con in advance of its fourth season premiere, offering more sneak peaks, greater behind-the-scenes reveals, and an unprecedented four members of its internationally beloved cast. Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) returns with three of his fellow castmates -- Colin Morgan, the beloved title character of Merlin; Bradley James, who portrays Prince Arthur; and Katie McGrath, the now-villainous sorceress Morgana. Co-creators and executive producers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy join their cast to provide an exclusive Comic-Con glimpse into the twists and turns of the upcoming season, offer a special advance look at new footage, provide a few unique prizes for fans, and supply some special surprises from the series that airs in more than 180 countries. Room 6BCF
1:45-2:45 The Cleveland Show— The cast and executive producers offer a look at The Cleveland Show's not-to-be-missed parody of Die Hard, followed by a discussion with panelists Mike Henry, Sanaa Lathan, Kevin Michael Richardson, Reagan Gomez, Rich Appel, and Kara Vallow. Hall H
2:15-3:15 The Looney Tunes Show Screening and Q&amp;A— Comic-Con can be a crazy place, but it's about to get Looney! After an extended break from the limelight, animation's favorite mismatched duo of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (along with all your other favorite Looney Tunes characters) return in The Looney Tunes Show, an animated half-hour comedy series from Warner Bros. Animation. Following a special screening, the laughs continue when supervising producers Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone (both from Duck Dodgers), story editor Hugh Davidson, writer Rachel Ramras and other members of the creative team take the stage to answer your questions. Just don't ask them, "Eh, what's up, Doc?" From Warner Bros. Animation, The Looney Tunes Show airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Cartoon Network. Room 6A
2:45-3:30 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia— Join the hilarious cast -- Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito -- for a Q&amp;A panel session. Hall H
3:30-4:00 Sons of Anarchy— Get an inside look into the world of FX's highest-rated series ever, Sons of Anarchy, with creator Kurt Sutter (The Shield) and stars Charlie Hunnam (Children of Men), Katey Sagal (Married...With Children), and Ron Perlman (Hellboy). Hall H